Configuring Your Auto Attendant With A Single Attendant Menu

This article will show you how to configure your Auto Attendant using a single Attendant Menu.

As the Attendant Menu will make use of your uploaded Prompts as well as your Directory it is highly recommended that you familiarize yourself with Setting Up Prompts in the Auto Attendant and Configuring Your Directory prior to configuring your Attendant Menu as you will need to have an understanding of these concepts and tools to be effective.

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• From the MyAccount Home page, click on the Auto Attendant Configuration button at the bottom of the page.

Attendant Menu General Settings

• This will take you to the Auto Attendant General Settings page.

• This page will let you define your Auto Attendant Menu, Operator, and General Voice Mail box for Working Hours and Non-Working Hours as well as allowing you to define what those hours are.

Configuring the Schedule

• You can define the days and hours that comprise the working hours schedule. All other times are treated as non-working hours for the purpose of Auto Attendant operations.

To configure the schedule:

• Select the checkboxes for each of the days of the week that are included in your working hours schedule.

• From the Start Hour dropdown list, select the opening hour of business.

• From the End Hour dropdown list, select the closing hour of business.

• Click Submit at the upper right.

Calls that are received during the specified hours and on the specified days are handled by the Working Time Auto Attendant. Calls received at any other time are handled by the Non-Working Time Auto Attendant.

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• Click on the Attendant Menus link.

• This will take you to the Auto Attendant Menu page where you can choose to configure the Attendant Menu, as well as delete and rename it. You can also create a brand new Attendant Menu.

• In this example we are going to configure a single Attendant Menu. Click the Config link to open the configuration page for that Attendant Menu.

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Attendant Menu Configuration

• This is the page where you will define how calls that come into your Auto Attendant are handled, and it is where the bulk of your available configuration options reside. The items in the upper, middle, and lower portion of the page and their functions are described below.

Upper Section

• Attendant Name: The name given to your Attendant Menu

• Attendant Description: A description to help identify the intended function of the Attendant Menu

• Attendant Prompt: The prompt heard by the caller when this Attendant menu is in use.

• Max Wait Time: The maximum time (in seconds) to wait for caller response after playing a prompt.

• Max Tries: The maximum number of time to repeat the prompt in the absence of any valid caller response. If the maximum number of tries is exceeded, then action is taken automatically based on the settings configured for the Error key in the Actions area.

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Middle Section

• This section of the Attendant Menu Configuration is where you define the behavior invoked when a caller presses a button on their telephone. It is divided into 5 sections - the first to define the key pressed, then up to two following actions invoked by pressing that key. The actions are sub divided into a "what" and "where" type logic represented by the action to be taken and the destination where the action will take place or where the caller will be sent immediately following the action taken.

Key: The trigger for the action taken	This defines what key/event will trigger the defined action(s)	Available Options: Digits 0-9, *, #, and "error" Note: An "error" is any invalid key pressed by the caller, or when the max tries has been exhausted.
Action 1: Specifies the action to be taken according to the key pressed by the caller.	Once triggered the defined event will occur.	Available Options: Do nothing, Play prompt, Go to Attendant, Leave Message to Domain, Leave Message to Extension, Leave Message to Email, Leave Message - Ask User, Voice Mail, Transfer to Operator, Collect and Dial, Transfer to Extension, Directory, Disconnect, Leave Message to Extension
Action 1 Data: Specifies the relevant action data.	The available choices will depend on the action selected for Action 1	Example: If the caller selects a key to request a specific department after listening to the voice prompt, the corresponding extension is selected from the Action 1 Data dropdown list. If the action includes the playing of an additional prompt, that prompt is specified together with any associated follow-up actions.
Action 2: Specifies the follow-up action to be taken, if any.	Example: The Attendant can be configured to play a prompt (Action 1) before transferring a call to the requested extension (Action 2).	Available Options: Do nothing, Play prompt, Go to Attendant, Leave Message to Domain, Leave Message to Extension, Leave Message to Email, Leave Message - Ask User, Voice Mail, Transfer to Operator, Collect and Dial, Transfer to Extension, Directory, Disconnect, Leave Message to Extension
Action 2 Data: Specifies the action data relevant for the implementation of the selected Action 2.	The available choices will depend on the action selected for Action 2	Example: If Action 1 is set to "Transfer to Extension", the available choices will be any extension in the domain. If "Play Prompt" is chosen, the available choices will be any Prompt that has been properly uploaded to the account.

• Important Note: Any actions defined will not be entered into the Attendant Menu configuration until you click the Define button.

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Lower Section

Attendant Action Types

Attendant actions are the actions to be taken according to the key pressed by the caller after listening to a prompt. Actions are defined and implemented as follows:

Do nothing:	No action is taken by the Attendant.
Play prompt:	An additional prompt is played to the caller. When selected, you need to select the prompt from the Action Data 1 or Action Data 2 dropdown list, accordingly.
Go to attendant:	The call is transferred to a different Attendant menu. When selected, you need to select the Attendant from the Action Data 1 or Action Data 2 dropdown list, accordingly.
Leave message to domain:	he caller is prompted to leave a message in the domain’s general voice mailbox.
Leave message to extension:	The caller is prompted to leave a message in the extension’s voice mailbox. When selected, you need to select the extension from the Action Data 1 or Action Data 2 dropdown list, accordingly.
Leave message to email:	The caller is prompted to leave a message. The message will be sent to the email defined in the Action Data field. When selected, you need to specify the email address in the Action Data 1 or Action Data 2 field, accordingly.
Leave message – Ask user	The caller is prompted to enter the extension number for which a message is to be left.
Voice Mail:	The caller is prompted to log in as owner of the mailbox in order to retrieve voicemail. (This option is not applicable for No Answer scenarios.)
Transfer to Operator:	The call is transferred to the Operator extension.
Collect and Dial:	The caller is prompted to enter the extension number if known, and the call is transferred to that extension accordingly.
Transfer to Extension:	The call is transferred to a specific extension. When selected, you need to specify the extension number in the Action Data 1 or Action Data 2 field, accordingly.
Directory:	The directory service is activated. A caller is prompted to enter the name of the person to whom the call is to be transferred, using the telephone keypad. The system will then prompt with the matching names, asking the caller to select the correct one.
Disconnect:	The call is to be disconnected.

• Important Note: Once you have defined all desired actions, you will need to click Submit at the upper right of the screen before the changes you defined will be saved.

With all the available options for how calls are handled and what callers are presented with when calling, just about any desired behavior can be built by you using a combination of your available Prompts, Attendant Menus, Schedules, and Attendant Actions. Should you need assistance with configuring your Attendant Menu, please contact Phone Power's Business Technical Support line at (866)431-1626.